Wednesday, May 29, 2013

  Highest swing ride: Texas theme park breaks Guinness world record (VIDEO)

ARLINGTON, TX, USA -- The 400-foot-high Texas SkyScreamer, at the Six Flags Over Texas theme park in Arlington, Texas, carries riders on open-air swing chairs attached to a giant tower; the 124 ft-wide gondola spins at a speed of 35 miles per hour upon reaching the top of the tower, setting the new world record for the Highest swing ride, according to the World Record Academy: www.worldrecordacademy.com/ .

  Photo: At the Six Flags Over Texas amusement park in Arlington, Texas, the world's tallest tower swing ride officially opened. The "Texas SkyScreamer" elevates twenty-four riders up 400 feet in open-air swings that spin in a 124-foot circle at 35 m.p.h.; at the highest point in the ride, people can see all of Arlington, as well as Dallas and Fort Worth, texas. Photo: Six Flags ( enlarge photo )

 The Guinness world record for the tallest swing measures 88 m (288 ft 8 in) from the seat to the top of the cross bar and was constructed by B!g Rush (South Africa) in Durban, South Africa.The swing was installed in the Moses Mabhida Stadium, where it was attached to the roof. Participants could swing from a platform across the football ground.

  Guinness World Records also recognized the world record for the tallest swing carousel, called "Prater Turm," which is 117 metres (383.8 ft) and is operated by FUNTIME HandelsgmbH. It is located in the City of Vienna and was measured at the Vienna Recordia event in Vienna, Austria.

  Up to 24 people at a time can enjoy panoramic views of the park below, as well as the Dallas Cowboys football stadium and Texas Rangers baseball stadium.

  Riders can also see the cityscapes of downtown Forth Worth and Dallas, located about 15 miles east of Arlington.

   "We are thrilled to add the tallest swing ride in the world to our premier lineup of rides and attractions," park president Steve Martindale said.

 "It offers the most unique ride experience for an attraction of this kind, and also lives up to the Texas mantra that everything is bigger in the Lone Star state!" he added.

  The next tallest SkyScreamer ride is at Six Flags Over Georgia and is 242 feet tall, but spins at 43 m.p.h.